Conflicts of Interest Policy

INTRODUCTION

Teosofia: Indonesian Journal of Islamic Mysticism is dedicated to upholding the integrity, objectivity, and credibility of the academic research it publishes. Transparency regarding actual or potential conflicts of interest—also referred to as competing interests—is vital to sustaining trust in the scholarly publishing process. This policy delineates the responsibilities of authors, peer reviewers, editors, and journal staff in disclosing and managing interests that could be perceived as compromising professional judgment or editorial impartiality. Teosofia adheres to the ethical guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in formulating this policy.

DEFINITION
A conflict of interest (COI), or competing interest, arises when an individual’s professional judgment related to primary scholarly responsibilities—such as the assessment of research validity, manuscript quality, or peer review integrity—may be influenced by secondary interests. These may include:

  • Financial interests: employment, consultancies, stock or equity holdings, honoraria, pending or received research funding, patent ownership or applications, royalties, paid advisory roles, expert testimony, or travel grants connected to the manuscript under review.

  • Non-financial interests: personal relationships (e.g., family or close friends), academic or professional affiliations (e.g., current or recent collaborations, supervisory roles), institutional ties, unpublished competing work, or strongly held personal, religious, or political beliefs that relate directly to the subject matter or individuals involved in the submission.

The presence of a conflict of interest is not inherently unethical; however, non-disclosure may undermine the credibility of both the research and the publication process. This policy applies to all stakeholders involved in Teosofia, including authors, reviewers, editorial leadership, board members, and staff.

POLICY

Principle of Full Disclosure

All contributors to the publication process at Teosofia must proactively and comprehensively disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest relevant to their roles. If no such conflicts exist, a formal statement to that effect is required.

Timing of Disclosure

  • Authors: must disclose all potential conflicts upon manuscript submission and update this information if new conflicts arise during peer review or revision.

  • Peer reviewers: must declare any potential conflicts of interest when invited to review and before accepting the task. If a conflict becomes apparent during the review, it must be reported immediately.

  • Editors and Journal Staff: must report any conflicts that could influence editorial duties to the Editor-in-Chief or publisher and recuse themselves from handling submissions where a significant conflict exists.

Assessment and Management of Disclosed Conflicts

Teosofia will review all disclosed interests to assess their potential to bias the research or compromise editorial decisions. Possible actions include:

  • Publishing authors’ conflict-of-interest disclosures alongside the article.
  • Reassigning peer reviewers or editors where impartiality may be affected.
  • Rejecting manuscripts where a conflict poses a serious risk to research integrity.

Publication of Disclosure Statements

All published articles will include conflict-of-interest declarations. If no relevant conflicts exist, a statement such as “The authors declare no known competing interests” will be included. Funding sources must also be disclosed, along with any role the funder played in the research process. If the funder had no involvement, that must be clearly stated.

Post-Publication Discovery of Undisclosed Conflicts

If a significant undisclosed conflict of interest is identified after publication, Teosofia will investigate in accordance with COPE guidelines. Remedies may include a correction, expression of concern, or retraction depending on the severity and impact on research integrity.

IMPLEMENTATION PROCEDURES

For Author

What to Disclose. Authors must declare all financial and non-financial interests that might reasonably be perceived as influencing their work:

Financial: research sponsorship; employment or consulting arrangements with interested entities; equity holdings; royalties or patents; honoraria or grants.

Non-financial: institutional or organizational affiliations; personal or academic relationships; strong ideological positions directly tied to the research topic.

Funding Sources. All research funding must be disclosed, along with the funder's role—if any—in study design, data analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, or publication decisions. If the funder had no role, this should be explicitly stated.

How to Disclose. Authors are required to submit a completed conflict-of-interest disclosure form at the time of manuscript submission. Teosofia may employ the ICMJE Uniform Disclosure Form or a journal-specific version. A disclosure summary (or declaration of no conflict) must also appear in the manuscript, typically before the reference section.

Consequences of Non-Disclosure. Failure to disclose relevant interests may delay publication or result in manuscript rejection. If discovered after publication, consequences may include correction or retraction of the article.

For Peer Reviewers

What to Disclose. Reviewers must disclose any situation that might impair their objectivity, including:

  • Recent or ongoing collaborations with authors.
  • Personal relationships or professional rivalries.
  • Financial interests in the research outcomes or related work.
  • Prior involvement with the manuscript or similar submissions.
  • Strong opinions are likely to affect impartial judgment.

How to Disclose. Reviewers must report any potential conflicts of interest when invited to review. If a conflict becomes known later, they must inform the editor immediately.

Action on Disclosure. Reviewers with a significant conflict will be asked to withdraw from the review. The editor will assess the disclosure and determine the appropriate response.

For Editors and Journal Staff (Including Editorial Board Members)

What to Disclose. Editors and staff must disclose any relationships or interests that could influence—or appear to influence—their editorial responsibilities:

  • Financial connections to relevant commercial or institutional entities.
  • Personal or professional relationships with authors or reviewers.
  • Submissions to the journal by themselves or close associates.
  • Overlapping research interests with submitted manuscripts.

How to Disclose. Disclosures should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief or the publisher. Teosofia may maintain a publicly available register of editors’ declarations, which will be updated periodically.

Management and Recusal. Editors or staff with significant conflicts must recuse themselves from any editorial involvement with the manuscript in question. An impartial editor or editorial board member will be assigned. Manuscripts authored by journal editors will undergo independent peer review to ensure objectivity.

Journal-Level Conflicts of Interest

Teosofia and its publisher are committed to editorial independence. The journal’s operations are structured to prevent commercial, institutional, or ideological interests from influencing editorial decisions. Any conflicts at the journal or institutional level will be managed with full transparency.

Record Keeping

Teosofia maintains confidential records of all disclosed conflicts of interest from authors, reviewers, editors, and staff.

This policy is intended to promote transparency, uphold ethical standards, and preserve public trust in the research published by Teosofia: Indonesian Journal of Islamic Mysticism. It will be reviewed and updated regularly to remain aligned with evolving best practices in scholarly publishing.